Can I admit something?
I hate this time of year…
the pre craziness that is before the Yom Tovim.
I feel like I am never prepared
not with the cooking…(that’s truly nothing in the scheme of things…)
but with my soul
Every year around this time I get nervous
I reflect….on the year past
and I think…
hmmmm did I have a good year?
did my prayers work? did I do enough Teshuvah?
was I the best human being I could be?
I can safely say ….this past year
not such a good one
and I wonder what could I have done…
last year at this time…
to NOT to have made this year …
BITE.
But alas, I know this is not how Hashem works…
and everything is for the best…
so I continue to pray
& prep my soul
So Dear Hashem,
please…
cut me a break this year…
all I ask is that my NEW YEAR is SWEET…
and if there is to be a little tumult….please let it all be BARK….
with NO BITE!
many thanks…
Chocolate Pomegranate Bark
My good friend & awesome baker Rivky E from www.yumkosher.com tipped me off to this recipe that was in the fall issue of Fine Cooking Magazine. I of course tweaked the recipe a bit, taking out the expensive and hard to find kosher candied ginger and adding what I call, “a little more WOW flavor” – with the addition of the lemon and orange citrus flavors.
Since making this batch of this Chocolate Pomegranate Bark, I have been inexplicably drawn to my freezer on an hourly basis….snitching small pieces ….for test tasting purposes.
Ingredients:
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), broken into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (from 1 large pomegranate)
1-1/2 tbsp. fresh grated orange rind
1 tbsp. dried Lemon Peel or 2 tbsp. fresh grated lemon rind
1/4tsp. fine sea salt
Directions:
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or waxed paper. Put the chocolate in a wide, shallow microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until it just starts to melt, about 1 minute. Stir with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, heating in additional 15-second increments, if necessary.
Gently stir half of the pomegranate seeds, orange and lemon rind, and the salt into the chocolate.
Scrape the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet and spread it into an 8×10-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds evenly over the top, pressing them into the chocolate. refrigerate until fully set, about 30 minutes.
Break the bark into chunks with your hands (be careful not to crush the seeds), and serve.